RC Vannes will play for its European future in Llanelli against the backdrop of receiving the (almost) last chance in the Top 14 against Stade Français. Mid-fate, mid-season, already crucial.
Is your team made?
No, we'll give it on Wednesday evening, we'll talk a little bit with the staff. There will be players who will return but there will be no indication in relation to Stade Français. You can imagine that there are players Mike (Ruru), Max (Lafage), players who will play against Stade Français. Sione (Kalamafoni), Jo (Edwards), there you go, you know them. Now some will play against the Scarlets and others will rest and prepare. We will decide.
Isn't this preparation for Stade Français?
No, because it's not the same rugby, so we can't say it's preparatory. Afterwards, we have players who need to continue, players who need to play, many others who can do without. Finally, it depends a little on each person too.
The set-ups that took place, not too many clues about the composition?
No, we made two fairly homogeneous teams.
What is the objective of this?
It's about qualifying but it seems difficult now because it's still an away match against a Welsh team who are a good team. The Scarlets, I wouldn't say they are superior to Edinburgh, I think maybe they don't have the same speed in the third curtain as Edinburgh but, they have more power up front. They have a much more solid conquest, in direct conquest. They have some big ball carriers that Edinburgh didn't have, I'm thinking of Fifita. Alex Craig too. And then they play their qualification at home, it's like for Edinburgh. These are clubs for whom this is a major objective in the season. It’s still a very complicated Challenge for us. But for all that, there is still something to look for. I think if we missed the boat, it's the Georgia game because I think they're the weaker team. With the bonus it's still playable but it seems complicated but it's not unplayable.
They are still deprived of a great asset, their titular opener…
-Yes, Costelow won't be but they still get Jo Roberts, the center, who is very strong. They have very experienced players, I'm thinking especially of Fifita who is a fairly extraordinary third row that I tried to bring here and who for me is a fantastic player.
Why hadn't he come?
Financially we were a little short (laughs), but he is very close to Sione Kalamafoni. He is truly an extraordinary player who has incredible speed, who is capable of decisive actions, he is an excellent jumper in touch. He wasn't an All Black for nothing.
You played against 50% of the Scotland team, now you are going to play against 25 to 30% of the Wales team. Given what happened with a reshuffled team against the Edinburgh team, there is still hope, right?
In any case, we're going to prepare like this with this little hope. We will see on the ground what happens. But first of all it's a great experience to play players at this level and it gives us a lot of material to work on, it also gives elements of comparison for our young players. They see what a high level player is on technical mastery, attitudes and things that may seem invisible from the stands like the redistribution of their third line from the scrum, attitudes, certain attitudes to contact. It was truly a very high standard from Edinburgh. It's an accelerated learning process for some but we came for that too.
Precisely this repetition of matches against the big teams began with Toulouse on September 8. Did any players really break out?
We still have players who are taking playing time today and doing well, our young people in particular. Robin (Taccola) in particular but also Simon Bourgeois, Timothé Mézou who play one match after another, that's still very satisfying. The intensity of the matches, the speed of play, the way you can get punished very quickly for the slightest loss of ball, force everyone to be extremely vigilant and reactive. So there are those who manage to answer it, those who have more difficulty because beyond the match there is everything that needs to be done during the week to prepare. This is the high level. We realized that we still had shortcomings, that we had oversights which are linked to the intensity of the combat in fact, to maintain this line of advantage, to maintain these contacts, that sometimes requires an overinvestment from us. which makes us lose lucidity and a little bit of precision and control.
Is this balance difficult enough?
We are on the edge, we can see it clearly, we are still on the edge and it requires colossal efforts of mental endurance from us to hold on against these teams who have a little more control, experience, for whom it This has been the daily routine for a long time.
